On Mannerisms
It’s always been odd to me how humans develop individual mannerisms. How certain people have mannerisms that are characteristic to just them and how they can be defined by these mannerisms among people who know them. I don’t really get where people get these. It’s weird how people start doing them and then keep doing them even though nobody else really is. Or maybe other people do do them. Maybe everyone gets their mannerisms from another person or another group of people but are associated with that act or saying just among the people that know them. But it’s also weird how people popularize their mannerisms when other people who are around them then start to mirror them.
I caught myself saying this word earlier this week that my sister and I kinda made up when we’re annoyed or disappointed and it sounds something like “blee”. We both said it a lot over the summer but once she went back to school, I stopped saying it for the most part. Why did I so randomly start saying it again and why did this saying even start? It’s not a real word, nor is it in anywhere close to one, and it gets across a similar meaning to sighing or showing that you’re annoyed. But I say it a lot.
And I’ve been saying it so much this week that some of my friends have been saying it when they’re annoyed or want to sigh too. When they say it they usually say something like, “Am I you?” or something to that degree. But at some point I think mannerisms that were once one person’s become a thing everyone in a certain group says or does and eventually people forget who started it.
I don’t think “blee” dropped from the sky or was just one day made up. My sister and I kinda developed it over time, starting with annoyed sighs and then gradually moving to random sounds. And I think that’s how a lot of mannerisms are. We don’t just make them up one day when we’re feeling like doing something new, cool, and edgy (although maybe that’s how some people think). I think they develop from a place of normalcy.
The fact that others have started to use it now is strange because before the past week, I’ve only heard the word come out of my sister’s mouth. I was thinking about how words or sayings that aren’t “real” start a few months ago too, when I saw the girl who started the saying “on fleek” was suing some company for using it without her permission. It’s weird to think that that could have been just a small saying that she was known for around her friends and then it blew up and everyone started using it. But I guess that’s just how words that aren’t really words start.
Your post made me realize how many mannerisms my best friend and I have: words, accents, dance moves, everything. When of us does or says something that makes us laugh, we both continue to do or say it, and it becomes a normal part of our every day conversations. I think the reason why we continue to say phrases we invented in subbie year or dab when we feel accomplished is that those mannerisms are little reminders of our friendship and our understanding of each other's sense of humor.
ReplyDeleteYeah, this is interesting stuff. I know that I will often end up adopting the small mannerisms (verbal tics, hand motions, that kind of thing) of people that I spend a lot of time around. I remember over the summer, I binge-watched a lot of Rick and Morty. After I was done watching it, I developed a bit of a stutter, very similar to the one exhibited by many of the characters in the show (basically, sometimes, instead of saying "what," I would say "w-w-w-what." It wasn't that noticeable, but it was still super weird. Cool post!
ReplyDeleteYour post made me realize how many mannerism I pick up from the people around me. Not only people that I interact on a daily basis at school but I also have picked up mannerism from people that I follow online. For example I followed this YouTube channel that had the catchphrase "mint" the longer I watched them, i would start to introduce saying "Mint" into my everyday conversations, but then I noticed and stopped myself. Nice Post.
ReplyDeleteHey this topic seems oddly familiar. Hmmm... I wonder... lmao, jk great minds think alike. I think when it comes to adopting mannerisms of friends, it's really cool and nice, as opposed to adopting mannerisms of a TV character, because then it's a little weird. Adopting the mannerisms of your friends kinda signifies to me that your wavelengths are syncing up or something, like you've bonded and grown closer together, which is really dope. In a way, your friends are becoming your sisters.
ReplyDeleteHow we adopt mannerisms is a really interesting topic and incredibly hard to understand. A group of friends will often have similar mannerisms, but they will all be different in some ways. What is interesting, however, is that many groups of friends have similar dynamics and mannerisms. There is one friend who is the "baby" of the group, often a really organized friend, and other friends have different qualities that contribute to the groups dynamic. Do we just adapt these mannerisms to fit in or are they past from person to person? I think this post raises some really interesting questions. Good job!
ReplyDeleteEven though "copying" someone's mannerisms can be seen in a negative way, I think of it almost as a compliment or even sign of a close relationship. I can recall countless times where I have used a word that I had previously never spoken, or in a completely new context, and thought to myself: "Where did that come from?" but also "Hey, that sounded kind of nice or funny." I take it in good light because I see it as me being so close to that person that I begin to use their language.
ReplyDeleteThis made me think. My friends have a few mannerisms that irritate the living crap out of me like "bar" and "shud". Bar" is used to express amusement. It's essentially a replacement for actual laughter. Example:
ReplyDeleteFriend 1: Dude I dropped my powdered donuts on myway to class.
Friend 2: BaR baR bAr BAr BAR bar bAR!
"Shud" is the equivalent of telling someone to "shut up" Example:
Friend 1: Your hair looks like a hurricane just came through.
Friend 2: sHuD
Good post.